No abstract

Hyaline bodies are rare subsarcolemmal aggregates in type 1 fibers of the skeletal muscle, stain pale pink with hematoxylin-eosin and pale green with the modified Gomori trichrome, and lack reactivity for glycogen and oxidative enzymes. We report clinical findings of autosomal-dominant hyaline body myopathy in seven members in four generations and muscle biopsy findings in two of them. Slowly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy developed with scapuloperoneal distribution; age at onset was from the first to the fifth decade. Muscle biopsy showed subsarcolemmal hyaline bodies in approximately 20% of type 1 fibers. Hyaline bodies showed myofibrillar ATPase activity after acid pre-incubation. Immunohistochemically, they stained intensely with myosin heavy chain (slow), but not with myosin heavy chain (fast). Ultrastructurally, they consisted of granules sometimes in linear array, filaments, and amorphous materials. These findings suggest that hyaline bodies may be products of degeneration of myosin heavy chain (slow).

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of short-term physical exercise that did not change body mass on insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and glucose and lipid metabolism in 39 non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. Insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were estimated with homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HOMA-B-cell function proposed by Matthews et al., respectively. All patients were hospitalized and were engaged in low-intensity exercise that consisted of walking and dumbbell exercise for successive 7 days. There were no changes in hospital diet and the dose of any medications used throughout the study. Fasting glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured before and after exercise. After exercise, serum triglyceride levels significantly decreased, but no significant changes were observed in total and HDL cholesterol concentrations. Fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels significantly decreased after exercise, but HOMA-B-cell function did not change during the study. There was no significant difference between BMI levels before and after exercise. From these results, it can be concluded that short-term (7 days) low-intensity physical exercise combined with hospital diet reduces serum triglycerides, insulin resistance, and fasting glucose levels without affecting BMI in non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.

This is the first study to identify an impairment of the central somatosensory pathway in patients with chronic arsenic exposure. Sensory disturbance in these patients is related not only to peripheral neuropathy but also to impairment of the central nervous system.

To evaluate the spinal cord atrophy that occurs in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), we conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pathological analyses. In the MRI study, 15 patients with HAM/TSP and 20 age-matched normal control subjects were enrolled. Anteroposterior and transverse distances and cross-sectional areas were measured and calculated at the C2, C4, C6, T2, and T6 vertebral levels. In the pathological study, spinal cord autopsy specimens were compared between a HAM/TSP case and an adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma case. In both the MRI and pathological studies, HAM/TSP spinal cords demonstrated more severe atrophy in the anteroposterior direction than those of controls. The spinal cord atrophy and pathological changes in HAM/TSP occurred predominantly in the white matter, especially in the lateral columns. This is the first report indicating spinal cord atrophy in the anteroposterior direction using MRI. In pathological analysis, atrophy and pathological changes were prominent in areas of the spinal cord with slow blood flow. Hemodynamic and anatomical factors are speculated to be among the main mechanisms of atrophy in the anteroposterior direction.